EPA Announces Energy Star Ratings for Data Centers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Monday that data centers can now earn the Energy Star label.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that stand-alone data centers and buildings that house large data centers can now earn the Energy Star label, reports Datacenter Dynamics. In order to earn the label, data centers must be in the top 25 percent of their peers in energy efficiency according to the EPA's energy performance scale.

The EPA has adopted the widely used Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) term, but not the same version as was introduced by the Green Grid, as Julius Neudorfer elaborates at CTO Edge. Buildings will also need to be inspected by an independent licensed professional whom will verify the data center's energy performance and seal the application document to be sent to the EPA for review and approval.